Delicious Anzac Biscuits

WORDS:: Chyka Keebaugh

PHOTOS:: Lisa Atkinson

There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked Anzac biscuits coming out of the oven. They’re soft, gooey and delicious, especially when you dip them into a hot cup of tea.

To get your kids involved, or to get yourself in the Anzac spirit, let's make some biscuits. The Anzac biscuit has such lovely and traditional back story; do you know it?

Wives of soldiers posted their husbands these biscuits because the ingredients were known to last and not spoil on the journey over. Before the recipe evolved into the sweet oat biscuit it is today, it was referred to as a wafer or tile. As it had such a long shelf life, it was quite a hard biscuit that substituted bread. Some soldiers used to grind it up and eat it like porridge. They can last for two weeks in an airtight container, but I'm pretty sure when you are in battle, a hard biscuit could not taste any better when you know it had been sent from home with love. At first, these biscuits were called soldiers biscuits, but after landing in Gallipoli, they were renamed ANZACS.

Anzac Biscuits Ingredients ::

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup desiccated coconut

125g butter, chopped

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method ::

Combine oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl. Place butter, syrup and two tablespoons cold water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir for 2 minutes or until butter has melted. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Stir butter mixture into oat mixture.

Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on trays, 5cm apart. Flatten slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

Giving your Anzac’s as a gift…

Anzac biscuits are a simple gift to give. With minimum effort required for making them you can dress them up in some gorgeous packaging. They are the perfect hostess gift as they go so well with a steaming cup of tea. Celebrate your Anzac day with these traditional treats.